BVS

I just got home from seeing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice...

I didn't like it...

At all...

But I wanted to so bad.

The problem with the movie was that it wasn't a horrible movie. It was so middling that it made me so goddamn frustrated thus why I hated it so much. It had really cool and interesting parts but also really stupid and unnecessary parts. 

I'm probably going to spoil a lot of the plot but who cares.

THE GOOD

- Ben Affleck. I thought he was a great Batman. Tortured, dark and brutal. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him in solo films. 

- Gal Gadot. She was awesome. Probably the best part of the movie. Especially when she was introduced in the final fight against Doomsday. 

- Jess Eisenberg. A lot of people gave him shit about playing Lex Luther. He's not the macho brute that Lex is usually portrayed as, but instead, he was smart, conniving and insane. I thought he was great. 

- Zack Snyder. Let's get one thing straight here. A lot of people give Zack Snyder shit about his films. But just stop. He is a great director. Everything looked great in the film. The opening scene (showing Bruce Wayne losing his parents in Crime Alley) was awesome. The fights were awesome. Special effects - awesome. He also (like in Watchmen and 300) knows how to make a movie look like you're watching a live action comic book - which I find very impressive. The problem does not lie with the direction but in the writing. The character arcs were lazy. The plot had many holes. And some of the dialogue was just stupid. Get some better writers for Snyder and he'll take the rest.

THE BAD

-  A weird scene with the Flash (maybe). There's an extremely unclear scene where a mysterious man in a red suit surrounded by lightning comes to the Batcave to tell Bruce information about Superman. But this information is never used later in the film and is completely pointless. 

- Pinning Batman and Superman against each other. Lex Luther is trying to get Batman and Superman to fight. But why? How? What? Yeah, none of those questions seem to be clear in the movie.

- Lois Lane retrieving the Kryptonite spear. Batman makes a spear of Kryptonite in order to defeat Superman. But after Batman and Superman realize that they’re not enemies, Batman throws the spear away in anger. Later, when Doomsday shows up, Batman realizes that he needs to get the spear back. But Lois is already on it. She’s already on her way to retrieve the spear. How she knows that the spear will help? I don’t know. It seemed like the writers just thought she needed more screen time.

- Superman's dumb death at the end. In the final battle, Superman must plunge the Kryptonite spear into Doomsday in order to kill him. Because Superman is weak against Kryptonite, he obviously can't carry the spear for very long periods of time. Nevertheless, instead of giving it to the super-powered Amazonian warrior woman who is clearly adept at all kinds of combat and basically invulnerable, or Batman who is also completely capable, Superman decides to charge at Doomsday to impale him with it and dies in the process. It's a completely avoidable death, and one that Superman will undoubtedly be resurrected from in the first Justice League movie.

THE UGLY

- Doomsday. He was pretty ugly.

- The future of DC movies...

Batman vs. Superman: not just a 2015 event

There's been a lot of buzz going around recently about the new 'Batman vs. Superman' movie coming out in 2015. Much of it has been directed at Ben Affleck, who was just confirmed as the new Batman. These two characters are getting a lot of attention right now with the Dark Knight series well on their way and the Superman series just starting up again. Their history goes far beyond the last 5 years though, and I'd thought it'd be fun to take a quick peak at what these characters have gone through in the past.

Firstly, let's go back to the dinosaur ages of 1966. Phrases like "gee wiz" were actually said, as you'll notice only 4 minutes into this episode from the Batman TV series:

The series was never viewed as especially good though, and they clearly had a struggling budget. 

Okay, maybe they were struggling with a little more then their budget. But before this show even existed, there was the "Adventures of Superman" TV show that started back when the pyramids were being built. AKA 1952. 

Moving way ahead in time though, this cartoon was released just last year and features an epic battle between Batman and Superman. I feel like this may give us a good idea of what to expect from the new movie coming in 2015, except instead of a cartoon it's real people and a sh*t load of special effects. 

Affleck Catches Flak for Being the Next Guy to Don the Cowl

Last week it was released that Ben Affleck signed a deal with Warner Bros. Studios and is going to be replacing Christian Bale as The Caped Crusader. The information was released that he would first star along side Henry Cavill in what Zack Snyder has only referred to as "Superman vs. Batman". Since this information has been released, Affleck has been catching a lot of heat from fans of the Dark Knight Trilogy, who believe that Affleck is the wrong person to be portraying one of the most famous pop culture icons of all time. Social Media sites such as Twitter and Facebook has been blowing up over this controversy. Personally as an outside observer who does not like to voice my opinion online... I'm going to take my first shot here and jump on team Affleck.

  

Despite having a rocky period of unease in the early 2000's with films such as Daredevil. Affleck has had an incredibly successful career. With his newer groundbreaking films such as Argo, and The Town, and some of his older classics like Goodwill Hunting, and Dazed and Confused, Affleck has continually showed success not only as an actor but as a director and producer. The Town is one of my favorite action/crime film of all time. The gritty dark style and compelling performances by Jeremy Renner and Affleck really make you have a invested interest in the characters and what happens to them.

Along with my current enjoyment in watching most Affleck films, I recently saw an article on the website buzzfeed that really caught my attention. The portrayal of the Joker by the late Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight was in my opinion is some of the best character acting I have ever seen in my life. However, before his role as the Joker, Ledger was mostly known for playing the romantic male lead in films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, and A Knight's Tale. When it was announced that Ledger was going to play the Joker, many people believed that he was poorly cast. In fact there was many angry tweets saying that there was no way a "gay cowboy", could play the joker. For those of you who like surfing the web you should check out this buzzfeed article.

At the end of the day there is no denying that Christian Bale really did put a face on the image of Batman, like no one has before. Regardless, his performance is going to be a tough one to follow up, and while I am not one hundred percent sure that Affleck is going to nail the performance of Bruce Wayne, all I am saying is that he is a very accomplished person in the film industry and people should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Boston's "Big Three"

When watching the Red Sox game the other day I couldn't help but notice that the Boston "big three" when it comes to movie making were in attendance. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Mark Wahlberg were all in the stands during opening day at Fenway Park. Those three hold a special place in Boston's heart. They have always made movies about Massachusetts (Good Will Hunting, The Town, The Fighter), and they never forget that they were all originally from different suburbs of Boston.

I have to admit that my personal favorite out of the three would have to be Affleck. That really has nothing to do with him as a person, because I like all three, but more because I think that it's amazing that Affleck writes, produces, and acts in his movies. Movies such as "Argo" and "The Town", Affleck  did all three of those and those movies are known as some of the best to come out in recent years. I watched "Argo" for the first time last weekend and wasn't disappointed. The story itself is remarkable, but the movie is also well made and Affleck is great as usual.

Wahlberg and Damon are no slouches either. "Ted" is a comedy phenomenon, and the fact that Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane (from Connecticut which is basically Massachusetts), decided to shoot the film in downtown Boston just adds to the humor for people from the city. Damon hasn't done as many films in Boston as Affleck and Wahlberg, but he still will always have "Good Will Hunting" to fall back on.

Maybe people in Boston care too much about the fact that Mark and Donny Wahlberg can be found court side at a Celtics game once a month, but people enjoy seeing these huge stars back home. I hope that Damon, Affleck, and Wahlberg continue to make movies in the Boston area. I think they realize that people from Boston do appreciate the fact that they return home to make these blockbusters. Hopefully 2013 leads to big things for Boston's "big three".

Good Will Hunting

 The other night I took the liberty of watching the classic "Good Will Hunting". As most of you probably know, the film follows Will Hunting, a 20 year old janitor who lives in Boston and acts like a thug, but consequently happens to be a genius. The film was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, launching them into stardom. The film won the Academy Award that year for Best Original Screenplay, which was quite an achievement for young Ben (25) and Matt (27) and a testament to their natural talent, being that this was the first real piece they had ever written.

 The story itself is absolutely impeccable. It's one of those movies that I can watch over and over again without ever getting sick of. Damon and Affleck did such an incredible job creating a story with characters that were so multidimensional, they really help bring you in and keeps you invested in what's happening. It's astounding to me that these guys were able to write such an incredible piece at such an early age, given the stories complexity and overall genius. Good Will Hunting is a movie that will remain a classic for generations to come.

And The Oscar Goes To...

     The 85th Academy Awards was yet another one to add to the books.  Hosted by the very funny Seth MacFarlane the winners were surprising in some categories and not in others.  As always, what the celebrities wear to the awards is very important to the designers and to the public who judge the celebrities clothing; more for the women then men.  There are 24 awards to be handed out and each won has many nominees hoping to get the award.  The biggest movie names were: Skyfall, Argo, Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty and Paperman.

     Skyfall was another James Bond movie that I would regard as one of the best, definitely Daniel Craig's best Bond movie but also one of the best ever.  The new series of Bond movies captures the audience from the action movies we see today with the James Bond character we all like, except for Quantum of Solace.  The Bond series celebrated 50 years of making movies and they are preparing to release another new movie with Daniel Craig in the next James Bond film.  Skyfall won Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song.

     Les Miserables did not do as well as everyone expected but it still won Best Sound Mixing and Makeup and Hairstyling.  Silver Linings Playbook had its lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence win Best Actress.  Life of Pi won Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and best director Ang Lee.  Zero Dark Thirty left with less then expected just Best Sound Editing.  Paperman won best animated Short Film.  Finally Argo won Best Film Editing, Best Writing, and the biggest award of the night Best Picture.

     Argo was a fantastic movie that I saw opening night.  As soon as I left the theater I kowe it was going to win best picture.  The movie followed a great story that was told ver well.  The cinematography was amazing and every part of the story held meaning.  I am very happy to see Ben Affleck win, because he has been working hard on this project and he did a great job.  Congratulations cast and crew of Argo.

Argo Review

Last night, instead of seeing yet another Die Hard movie, my date and I spent Valentines day seeing one of this year's Oscar contenders, Argo.  My date despises Ben Affleck, and went into the movie not expecting to like it, where I on the other hand am a fan of Mr. Affleck and expected only to love this movie.  Surly Argo did not disappoint and brought a fascinating story that I know nothing about, to the big screen with amazing direction and a thrilling plot.  Argo has won almost every major award this season and of course is nominated for 7 Oscar nominations for next weekend's celebration.

The biggest surprise surrounding the movie; however, is Ben Affleck's snub for best director.  I could not agree more.  The directing of this movie is what I think is strongest in this film.  Although the 7 other nominations are well deserved, I think Ben Affleck's directing is brilliant, connecting such a secretive, complicated story into a 2 hour film.  The only thing I did not like about his directing was the multitude of close-up's on Affleck's face. (He also stared in the movie as Tony Mendez.)  Although Affleck is a handsome man, no one looks good in the 70's and the close ups on his face were ridiculous and unnecessary.

The plot was complicated and detailed, but this is something I can not complain about because it's not just a script it is in fact real life.  The story follows Affleck's character Mendez using a faux Hollywood movie made my Canadian filmmakers to enter Iran and help 6 hostages escape.  The story is amazing and I can not believe this is based on a real event.  It absolutely blows my mind, and the use of found footage from the time was incredibly well planned and used to the best of it's ability.  I really felt like I was in 1979 / 1980.

The film is also up for best picture at the Oscars, which is no surprise after it won best picture for the BAFTAS, Critics Choice, and Golden Globes.  However looking at the other nominees this year I would not give Argo the oscar.  I believe it is a wonderful film and Affleck should be nominated; but I don't think it can even compare to a film like Zero Dark Thirty.  Alan Arkin is also nominated for his role in the film as a big shot Hollywood producer.  His story arch is absolutely hilarious, but won't win him the award.  John Goodman, Victor Garber, Brian Craynston, and Kyle Chandler also do a phenomenal job in the film, but this was really not an acting piece.  It was all about the plot and the history and I am happy how it turned out.  They added in a story line about Affleck's character Mendez and his family, which I found extremely irrelevant to the plot and hurt it more than helped.  You did not need to humanize his character it was not a strong enough relationship with the audience that we cared about his character or his family, and if that sub-plot was eliminated I think it would have overall been a much stronger film.

However I still give it an A and loved watching it and would love to know more about the Iranian hostage situation.  Argo does not disappoint.

Best Director?

The nominations for the 2013 Academy Awards came out earlier this month and as always there quite a few movies that were left out. I think the biggest snub of all the nominations was that Ben Affleck was not even nominated for the Best Director category. I found it shocking that Affleck, who won Best Director at the Golden Globes and his movie Argo won Best Picture, was not even nominated for the Oscars. He seemed like the front runner to win the Best Director award but I guess the Academy saw it differently. Argo is a brillant and excellent film about a CIA agent who helps six American fugitives in Iran escape the country during a revolution. It stars Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman. I think Affleck did an incredible job and him not being nominated is a shame. Personally, I think Argo was the best movie of the year I'm rooting for it to win Best Picture at the Oscar's.

Argo

"Argo" Review

Recently I went to the theaters and got to see "Argo". This is Ben Affleck's latest film and in my opinion, probably his best. This film is one of those movies that seems to just be perfect in almost every aspect. Without ruining too much, I'll try to explain why.

"Argo" opens with storyboards of a fictional movie, and it transitions into a fantastic intro that grabs you immediately with a sense of threat and urgency. It deals with the Iranian hostage crisis that occurred from 1979-1981. We see the point of views of a group of American embassy escapees who are now trying to return to America. Cue Ben Affleck's character who is an expert in extraction and is brought in by the CIA and Brian Cranston's character to help out.

This is where the movie really stands out. It manages to take this incredibly doom and gloom concept of rescuing fugitives and we get story telling that is anything but that. "Argo" weaves together drama,   humour and tension into this great engaging storyline. The characters are all different and each and every one of them are well developed, even the secondary character stay away from being bland or boring. 

The other reason I loved this movie was because it has possibly one of the tensest scene's I've ever seen. My heart was beating of my chest for nearly ten minutes, and it's no surprise how this movie ends; after all, it's history.

Overall I highly suggest going out and seeing this movie, I have a strong feeling this will win some Oscars, and it definitely deserves it.

Good Will Hunting

I am going to move away from Russell Crowe and to a movie I really Love.  Good Will Hunting.  This is a heart warming story starring some A-list actors including, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams.  I love Robin Williams and I really love his stand up, so it was great seeing him in such a serious emotional role.  He won Best Supporting actor for his part.  The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and won them each an academy award.  It also got nods for Best Picture, director, and supporting actress.  It is about a janitor at M.I.T named Will Hunting who is actually a genius.  When a professor at M.I.T figures this out he does his best to try to get Will Hunting into a very high level, and well paying job.

Good will Hunting is directed by Gus Van Sant who also directed Milk, another movie I think is fantastic.  Gus Van Sant did a fantastic job with the actors.   He got a oscar worthy performance out of Robin Williams and really was able to get them to play their characters well and fit well into the story.  I think the story is great because it takes what seems to be an obvious decision for Will Hunting to only reveal that he has various emotional issues.  Robin Williams plays a psychology professor who is asked to help Will by the M.I.T professor.  It is a great story and a great movie and is a must see.